the unsung heroines of sports history

Eleanor Holm

By 1936, Eleanor Holm was one of the most famous athletes in the United States. In 1928, she joined the USA Olympic swim team in Amsterdam. By June 1932 she would go on to win the gold medal for the 100-meter backstroke and break a world record in both the 100-and 200-meter backstroke in the Los Angeles Olympics.In seven years, she did not lose one race and was expected to bring home a gold medal in the Berlin Olympics. However, on the way to Germany, aboard the ocean liner SS Manhattan, she was invited to a party in the first-class area, where she drank champagne with journalists. When curfew was called–at 9pm–she refused to turn in and asked her chaperone, “Did you make the Olympic team, or did I?” The chaperone promptly went to Olympic officials and told them Holm was setting a bad example for the team. When the ship reached Germany, Holm was fired. Around 200 teammates petitioned for her reinstatement, but officials stood by their decision after a doctor examined Holm and diagnosed her with chronic alcoholism–a claim she vehemently denied. Instead of returning to United States, she was hired by the International News Service to report on the games. #butchhistory